Curry Braised Chicken Thighs
Updated Jul 27, 2021, Published Mar 21, 2015
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Curry Braised Chicken Thighs is a delicious Indian-inspired dinner for two. Spicy, flavorful and budget-friendly, it’s sure to spice up the night with your loved one! You’ll also love my Chicken and Potato Curry!
What is braising?
One of my absolute favorite cooking methods is a slow braise; it’s almost magical!
Braising uses both moist and dry heat. A tough cut of protein that has lots of connective tissue, is first seared at a high temperature. Then, it simmers at a low temperature for up to several hours. During this process, the connective tissue breaks down and the tough cut of protein is transformed into something buttery and fall-off-the-bone tender.
For this recipe, I used budget-friendly chicken thighs which lend themselves well to the braising method. However, chicken thighs don’t take hours to become tender.
Indian cuisine may seem intimidating at first because of all the exotic spices. However, this recipe for Curry Braised Chicken Thighs uses ingredients found at any local grocery store or international market like Madras curry powder.
What is Madras curry powder?
Madras curry powder isn’t authentically Indian. It was created by the British to try and mimic the amazing curry flavors of India which they fell in love with when India was one of their territories.
A word of warning: Madras curry powder can be very hot. In addition to ground chilies, it also has spices such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and fenugreek. If you enjoy curry but don’t like the heat, substitute a mild curry powder here or blend your own.
Vary the vegetables and use cubed sweet potato, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets or spinach instead of carrots. Chickpeas would also make a nice addition. Serve with plenty of brown basmati rice to soak up this flavor-packed sauce. If desired, a dollop of plain yogurt will help cool it down.
For more great bone-in chicken thigh recipes, check out: 30 Best Bone-In Chicken Thigh Recipes.
Serve Curry Braised Chicken Thighs with:
- Brown or white basmati rice
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter and Almonds
Want more amazing Indian-inspired curry recipes? Be sure to check these out!
- Meatballs in Spicy Curry
- Cauliflower, Red Lentil and Potato Curry
- Indian Root Vegetable Curry
- Vegan Indian Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
- Pressure Cooker Indian Beef Curry
Curry Braised Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed if desired
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or as needed
- 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, quartered lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, such as Madras
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, or canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
- Cooked brown basmati rice
- Plain yogurt, optional
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs generously with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
- Heat oil in a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and brown 2-3 minutes per side, or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Add more oil if necessary. Add the onion then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 4-5 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Add carrot and cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned in places.
- Add curry powder, ginger and garlic and cook very briefly, about 15 seconds.
- Add tomatoes, chicken broth and cream or coconut milk. Return chicken thighs to the pan.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover slightly and simmer 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees.
- Adjust seasoning if desired. Stir in cilantro.
- Serve with brown basmati rice. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and plain yogurt if desired.
Video
Notes
- Madras curry can be hot. If you don’t care for anything too spicy, use mild curry powder.
- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs instead of thighs on the bone. Reduce cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
- You can also use leg quarters but may need additional time.
- Cook all chicken to 165 degrees in the thickest part.
- Vary the vegetables and use cubed sweet potato, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets or spinach instead of carrots. Chickpeas would also make a nice addition.
- This can be made one day ahead. Cool and refrigerate until needed. Place in an oven-safe dish and reheat uncovered at 350 degrees until heated through to 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Cool thoroughly. Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat uncovered at 350 degrees until heated through to 165 degrees in the thickest part.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Awesome!!!!!!!! Absolutely delish! Thank you.
Hi, Laurie, Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed! Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
Everything was amazing except my cream curdled.
Hi, Brenda, Thanks for your feedback. I’ve never had that happen with heavy cream. Make sure you’re using “heavy” cream and not whipping cream, which is slightly lower in fat content than heavy cream. Thanks again and appreciate your trying the recipe and coming back to comment.
Recipe can easily take 6 chicken thighs. I also added broccoli with 12 minutes left on the recipe and mushrooms at the 7-minute mark. Worked great!
Hi, Daniel, Thanks so much and happy it worked out well for you. Yes, there is a generous amount of sauce for additional chicken thighs or vegetables. Thanks again!
I love this recipe!! It’s a family favorite. Thank you for sharing it.
Hi, Jacinthe, Thanks so very much and happy you love this recipe. Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
What about putting some sweet alcoholic beverage, such as Marsala or cream sherry, in the sauce? Or wine? Has anyone tried that? I have made this several times and my people LOVE it.
Hi, David, Thanks so much and so happy you all love this recipe. I can see adding some white wine. Marsala could give it a sweet taste that might compete with the curry, same with the cream sherry. Thanks again and if you try it, please let me know how it goes.
David, this isn’t an Italian dish to add marsala, for example. If you wanted it more flavorful, you can try more Indian spices and fresh peppers. You can’t mix marsala in this.
Hi, Laurie, Thanks for your input.
Made this tonight and it was amazing! We loved that it was saucy so we could serve with rice. Going to make this often; it’s a keeper! Thanks again!
Hi, Caryn, Thanks so much and so happy you enjoyed! We enjoy a fair amount of sauce, too! Great for reheating. Appreciate your taking the time to come back and rate and comment.
This is good but I doubled the amount of curry on a hunch and it’s still a little bland. It also came out pretty watery. I used a can of crushed tomatoes and could have skipped the chicken broth.
Hi, Morgan, Thanks for your feedback and the rating. Be sure to get your curry powder at a good Indian market. Thanks again!
The flavour, even with fresh genuine spices, is mild at best, and it’s very watery. It’s a lot more like a curry soup than a true curry. If you double up on your spices and cut back on the liquids it’s decent.
I found this recipe after getting a lot of chicken thighs on sale and looking for something different to do with them. This recipe is delicious and I’m making it again tonight. Thank you
Hi, Robin, Thanks so very much and happy this one fit the bill for you!!
Recipe was delish. We added a tablespoon and a half of brown sugar to balance the heat from the cayenne and more carrots. I would also add more veg next time for a one pot meal.
Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed!
This was all the flavors I was looking to find. Husband doesn’t care for tomatoes so I used tomato paste. Had some red chilis on hand that lent awesome heat. I doubled the recipe as I used quarters, removed skin because it had plenty of flavor. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Hi, Joni, Thanks so much and so happy you both enjoyed!!